This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Wednesday's NHL slate begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT and consists of series openers from the two series that didn't get started Tuesday. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the action and suggested options for crafting an effective lineup.
SLATE PREVIEW
The Hurricanes and Flames are both clear but not overwhelming favorites against the Rangers and Oilers, respectively. Both games have over/unders of 6.0 goals. All four of these teams took seven games to get out of the first round.
GOALIES
Antti Raanta, CAR vs. NYR ($8,500): Raanta missed some time during the first round with an upper-body injury, but he played well when available, going 3-2 with a 2.37 GAA and .927 save percentage. He'll look to help Carolina stay unbeaten on home ice this postseason.
Jacob Markstrom, CGY vs. EDM ($8,300): Markstrom was spectacular in the seven-game series win over the Stars, posting a 1.53 GAA and .943 save percentage. Edmonton has more offensive firepower than Dallas did, but Markstrom should continue to be the default fantasy goalie of choice until proven otherwise.
Mike Smith, EDM at CGY ($7,900): Smith has played well this offseason while Calgary's offense struggled to score in the first round, so there's certainly some appeal here. The veteran netminder posted a 2.29 GAA and .938 save percentage against the Kings, including two shutouts in seven games. Meanwhile, Stars netminder Jake Oettinger limited the Flames to just 13 non-empty net goals in seven games during the first round.
Igor Shesterkin, NYR at CAR ($7,700): Shesterkin wobbled in his first playoff series but found his game in the nick of time as the Rangers overcame a 3-1 series deficit against Pittsburgh. The league's best goalie during the regular season withstood a barrage of chances over the final two games of the series, setting aside a combined 70 of 76 shots. He also stopped 118 of 124 shots over his first two appearances of the playoffs, so Shesterkin's certainly capable of providing value at his $7,700 valuation here.
VALUE PLAYS/ONE-OFFS
Mika Zibanejad, NYR at CAR ($6,800): Zibanejad got off to a quiet start in the playoffs after topping a point per game in the regular season, but he got hot late in the first round, notching a 3-4-7 line and 10 shots over the last two games. New York's top center plays in all situations, and few players around the NHL are as dangerous as a hot Zibanejad.
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR vs. NYR ($5,100): Svechnikov's 3-1-4 line in the first round against the Bruins was nothing to write home about, but he's a nice value at $5,100. The skilled winger posted a 30-39-69 line in 78 regular season games and occupies a fantasy-friendly lineup spot on the first line and top power-play unit.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM at CGY ($4,100): Outside of a two-goal, three-point outburst in Game 3 against the Kings, Nugent-Hopkins was nearly invisible in the first round after totaling 50 points in 63 games during the regular season. He was deployed primarily as the third-line center, though, but RNH has been bumped up to a second-line role since the Oilers shifted Leon Draisaitl to Connor McDavid's wing late in that series. Playing on the second line should help Nugent-Hopkins generate more chances at even strength, and he remains a key factor on the power play, where he produced 23 points this season.
Mikael Backlund, CGY vs. EDM ($3,500): Backlund was a strong source of secondary scoring for the Flames against Dallas, especially considering the low-scoring nature of that series. The affordable second-line center lit the lamp in Games 4, 5 and 6, throwing in a helper as well in Game 5.
FORWARD LINE STACKS
Flames vs. Oilers
Elias Lindholm (C - $6,300), Johnny Gaudreau (W - $6,600), Matthew Tkachuk (W - $5,900)
Calgary's top line has carried the offense all year, and that remained the case in the first round, yet its members aren't exorbitantly priced as the second round begins. Lindholm had a 3-2-5 line against the Stars after a 42-40-82 output in the regular season. Gaudreau tied for second in the regular season with 115 points and eclipsed a point per game with a 2-6-8 line against Dallas. Tkachuk was held to a 1-5-6 output in the first round but is coming off a stellar regular season in which he posted a 42-62-104 line.
Oilers at Flames
Connor McDavid (C - $8,800), Leon Draisaitl (W - $6,900), Kailer Yamamoto (W - $2,500)
Not only are Edmonton's two superstars skating on the same line, but Draisaitl's quite affordable at a sub-$7,000 valuation. McDavid led the league with 123 points in the regular season and added 14 more in seven playoff games against the Kings. Draisaitl chipped in a 5-4-9 line against Los Angeles after potting 55 goals to go with 55 assists in 80 regular season appearances. Yamamoto's worth a flier at the minimum valuation given his linemates, even though the winger was held to a 1-2-3 line in the first round.
Hurricanes vs. Rangers
Vincent Trocheck (C - $3,600), Teuvo Teravainen (W - $4,600), Max Domi (W - $2,500)
Carolina's affordable second line offers excellent value following a highly productive first round. Trocheck produced a 3-4-7 line in seven games against the Bruins. Teravainen also averaged a point per game against Boston (2-5-7) following a 65-point regular season. Domi was the hero in Game 7, as his two goal, three-point night helped the Hurricanes advance to the second round and raised his postseason point total to five.
DEFENSEMEN
Adam Fox, NYR at CAR ($6,700): Fox logged at least one point in each of the seven games against the Penguins, producing a 3-7-10 line thus far this postseason. His involvement offensively wasn't surprising after he racked up an 11-63-74 line over 78 regular season games.
Noah Hanifin, CGY vs. EDM ($4,800): Hanifin is generating plenty of chances, and while he couldn't solve Oettinger, perhaps he'll have more luck against Smith. Either way, his significant shot volume has resulted in plenty of fantasy value this postseason. Hanifin had just one assist without a goal in the seven games against the Stars despite racking up 25 shots, and he chipped in at the other end as well with 14 blocked shots.
Jaccob Slavin, CAR vs. NYR ($4,600): Slavin's known primarily for being a shutdown defenseman, but he has a fair amount of offense in his game as well, as evidenced by his 2-6-8 line against Boston on the heels of a 42-point regular season. He'll continue to play heavy minutes on the blue line, thus getting more opportunities to contribute on the scoresheet.
Cody Ceci, EDM at CGY ($3,100): Ceci had a quietly strong first-round series, producing a 1-5-6 line. The lone goal stood as the Game 7 winner. He also chipped in defensively with 12 blocks while skating primarily in a top-pairing role, so Ceci's a nice value option at just $3,100.
